GRADUATE RESEARCH GRANTS
GIS AWARDS
RESEARCH SERVICES
Lewis Center projects include research on regional policy issues, with special reference to Southern California, including problems of the environment, urban design, housing, community and neighborhood dynamics, transportation and economic development.
Faculty Research
Recent faculty projects focus on immigration and American cities; welfare-to-work programs; non-custodial parent employment and training; environmental studies with social implications; pollution prevention policies; parking policies; pedestrian safety; work-residence relationships in restructuring metropolitan areas; economic development strategies for local areas; HIV-AIDS early detection services; inclusionary zoning for new housing; and voting patterns of newly naturalized citizens.
Graduate Research Grants
Refer also to web pages:
The Lewis Center is allocating approximately 6 awards from $1,000 to $4,500 each in support of theses, Applied Policy Projects (APP's), client projects, Applied Management Research (AMR's), and law school related research projects to be used for research costs such as: data, software, travel for data collection, production of a final report, and undergraduate research assistance. No other costs will be allowed. Priority will be given for research focused on policy issues relevant to California. Access to a computer and space at the Lewis Center will also be available. The program will not cover graduate student salaries, tuition remission, meals, etc. Examples of previous projects are at the Student Reports page.
Application Checklist
Each application should include the following:
- a cover sheet with title of the project, each group member's name, department, student ID number, current and permanent addresses, phone and e-mail addresses. If all group member's names and information cannot fit on one sheet, use a continuation page.
- a one-page proposal containing an overview of the topic, methods, and relevancy to regional policy issues.
- a brief budget.
- a letter of recommendation from one faculty member for each person.
Budget and recommendation forms are available for download below. Awardees must complete their project by the end of the academic year and submit one final hard copy of the paper and one PDF format electronic copy based on the project for the Lewis Center Working Paper or Student Thesis series. See FAQs at the end of this section.
Proposal Forms
Download: Budget Form (Excel File)
Download: Letter of Recommendation Form (PDF)
Post-Award Forms
Download: Mileage Expense Report for Privately Owned Vehicles (PDF)
Download: Travel Reimbursement Form (Excel file)
Download: Check Request Form (Excel file)
Download: Human Research Application Forms & Checklists
Deadline to submit all proposal materials: October 30th, Friday by 5 p.m. Awards will be announced in late November or early December, and funds will be available late Fall 2009 / early Winter 2010. If you have further questions, feel free to contact us. Please submit hard copies of proposals, budgets, and letters of recommendation to:
John A. Mathews
Email: mathewsj@ucla.edu,
Lewis Center Graduate Research Grant (GRG) Program
Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
3320F Public Policy Building Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656
Phone: 310-206-0573,
Fax 310-825-1575
Frequently Asked Questions - Graduate Research Grants
Q: How detailed should I be on the budget worksheet?
In general, please be as detailed as possible when coming up with the budget, especially if you are purchasing data (tell us what the data is) or purchasing supplies in excess of a few hundred dollars.
Q: Can I see some sample projects?
Projects from previous years are posted at the Student Reports section.
Q: Can we hire non-undergraduate students to work on the project?
Undergraduates are preferred. For graduate student assistants, the awardee must also pay their fees and
associated costs. NOTE: A portion of salary and benefits can be reduced if students are hired through
Federal Work Study via the Financial Aid Department. Certain restrictions apply (e.g., U.S. citizenship, B
average, early February deadline to hire work-study students for academic year). See
Work Study Guide for Students or
Work Study Guide for Employers.
Q: How do we go about hiring an undergraduate?
For non-work study students, word of mouth or job posting directly through undergraduate departments.
For work study students, awardees must complete and return a SPA Work Study form to John Mathews.
Q: At what rate should I hire a student assistant?
Please refer to the student assistant titles and rates listed below. Be sure to use those title codes since many pay titles sound alike but may not apply to students.
Student Assistant Descriptions
- Assistant I - Title Code 4922
- Assistant II - Title Code 4921
- Assistant III - Title Code 4920
- Assistant IV - Title Code 4919
Q: What hardware/software can we purchase?
In general, you do not have to purchase hardware/software that the Lewis Center already owns. If
equipment is purchased, it is the property of the Lewis Center and must be returned to us. Software that is
purchased may be installed on your personal computer. At the end of the project, the box, accompanying
literature, and license must be handed over to the Lewis Center.
Q: In general, how do we get reimbursed?
There will be 3 disbursement periods as stated in your contract. Designate one point person in your group
to submit receipts for each of the 3 periods. For each person who made a purchase that is to be
reimbursed, include a signed coversheet with the account holder’s name, student ID, and mailing address
(if you need checks mailed to you) with your original receipts. If you are paying by credit card, please
also include a copy of the credit card statement. You may block out everything but your name, the last
four digits of the credit card, and the line-item you are asking for reimbursement. The Lewis Center can
only reimburse expenses incurred during the grant period (between the time the contract is signed and the
end of the project in late June).
Q: How do we get reimbursed for phone calls?
Phone cards are not a reimbursable expense. You may book the Lewis Center conference room 3320A
Public Affairs Building through John Mathews to make phone calls. Phone numbers are to be provided
for reimbursement purposes.
Q: How do we get reimbursed for mileage?
Submit addresses for origin and destination and distances in between. The easiest way to do this is to use
Mapquest or Yahoo Maps. Gas is not a reimbursable expense since you are being reimbursed for mileage.
As of January 1, 2009, the mileage reimbursement rate is $0.55 per mile and not the old 2008 rate of $0.585 per mile.
Q: Can we be reimbursed for expenses incurred prior to the start of the grant period?
No. Only expenses incurred during the grant period as specified on your contract may be reimbursed. In
addition, expenses that will not be reimbursed at any time include, but are not limited to, the following:
Graduate student awardee salaries, fee remission, phone cards, cell phones, meals, stamps (mail must go
through UCLA), and personal items.
Q: Should I highlight items on my receipts for reimbursement?
DO NOT use a highlight on any of the original receipts or credit card statements.
(highlighter eats away at the ink on most receipts such as the ones one gets from UCLA Store
or Office Depot...and will make it hard to read them in the future)
Q: What should I put on my reimbursement paperwork?
- The UID of person being reimbursed.
- The current e-mail address of that person.
- Lewis Center Masters Thesis Grant project number (example 92008)
Q: When will my reimbursement get paid?
If we have all the paperwork, 10 to 15 working days.
Q: Where will reimbursement go to?
- If you were ever paid by UCLA Payroll and you had set up a direct electronic deposit, it will go into whatever account you told UCLA Payroll to deposit your paycheck.
- If you were ever paid by UCLA Payroll and did not have a direct electronic deposit set up, it will go via campus mail to whatever department you worked for in the past. (even if it is some other department not in the School of Public Affairs)
- If you were never paid by UCLA Payroll, it will be sent via a paper check to the permanent address on your proposal application if you do not indicate any other address on the paperwork you submit.
- For mileage and travel reimbursements, if you do not have a current appointment on UCLA Payroll, it will go to your permanent address on your proposal application.
Q: How is workspace allocated?
Check with your departments, but space may also be granted through the Lewis Center if available. See
John Mathews for details.
Q: How do we get access to a computer?
- You may use the computer labs available through your department or school if you have permission.
- You may use the SPA computer labs or other campus computer labs and have computing lab fees reimbursed.
Printable FAQ Sheet - Graduate Research Grants
GIS Awards
Refer also to web pages:The Lewis Center is also allocating awards to promote the use of spatial analysis geographic techniques to study Southern California planning and policy issues. Please refer to the GIS Awards web page after an announcement is made for details on submission. Examples of previous awards are at the GIS Archive page.
Research Services
The Lewis Center assists faculty with proposal and budget preparation and through the award administration stages along with the school's book keeping staff. We offer the benefit of experience working with many foundations and agencies. If requested, we offer an email reminder system to PI's when deliverables are due. We also provide researchers access to space and computing services based on availability. The Lewis Center computing facility has statistical software, access to the internet and has the ability to run four different GIS packages. The Center also employs staff and students with expertise in multiple software packages, which thereby assist the researcher in facilitating data.
If you have research interests that coincide with the Lewis Center's mission, please feel free to contact us to discuss the possibility of running your next contract or grant through the Lewis Center.
John A. Mathews
Operations Manager
Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
3320F Public Affairs Building Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656
Email: mathewsj@ucla.edu
Phone: 310-206-0573
Fax 310-825-1575